Director of External Affairs, City of Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
[as told to David McKay Wilson]
“The number of unsheltered homeless continues to rise in Philadelphia. We average
about 5,500 people in shelters each night, and there’s another 900 living on the streets.
But we are fortunate when compared to cities like Seattle or New York City. I give
kudos to our nonprofits, especially the religious-based organizations that provide
emergency temporary housing. We coordinate the city’s effort to find housing for the
homeless. We contract with 63 nonprofit agencies for rapid rehousing, transitional
housing, emergency shelters. What we strive for is housing first. The old way of thinking
was to wrap services around people before they got housing. Now we house people first,
give them a foundation and then wrap services around them. . . . I’ve been working
in city government for 13 years. It’s a passion. I try to understand the lives of
those we serve, and tell the story through their lens, not ours. I work as a liaison
between the administration and the public and private agencies. I deal with the media.
Generally speaking, it is positive work. I educate the press and the public about
the issues at hand. People want to see the good, and the work that you do, but sometimes
they don’t understand the magnitude of the problems and the scarce resources. The
supply of housing doesn’t always meet the demand at the price you can pay. . . . The
opioid crisis has elevated the problem with those aged 18 to 25. Those panhandling
on the streets self-report that they use the donations for food and to supplement
what they need for their addiction. . . . We’re worried about the president’s proposed
federal budget. If the proposed cuts to housing programs come about, it will be devastating
to many communities. Our hope is that advocacy will push back against the budget.
There really needs to be a partnership between federal, state and local government,
to have effective change in the lives of people seeking help.”
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